1984 election

[Napoleon]

Keep in mind that Reagan and Co. re-defined unemployment too, which lowered the percentages.  The big turnaround started in 83 and 84.  People were feeling the recovery, or at least they had hope that their own situations would turn around soon.

Bush actually made an honest statement that the economy was growing in 1992; it was, but people weren't "feeling" it yet.

Mistakes like your example are what made Bush 41 so easy to paint as out of touch.